1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to embedded electronics in walls or panels. A preferred embodiment of present invention relates generally to container security and, more particularly, to a shipping container security system, and to the sub systems used in this system.
2. Background of the Invention
Currently, most electronic devices are provided with a specific housing, which may be small (such as cell phones or alarm clocks) or large (such as televisions or desk top computers). In some instances, electronics in their housings are attached to wall surfaces, with clocks being an example. That is, current electronics that are fixed to structures having separate housings for their protection and mounting.
As another example, steel containers, such as intermodal shipping containers, which have been in existence for more than fifty years, offer no mechanism for penetrating the container walls electronically with either conducting wires or radiofrequency waves. Thus, inherent difficulty exists in externally inspecting the contents of the container without physically opening the doors, or penetrating by cutting or some other physical means.
A problem faced by the Government and industry is one of providing an intermodal shipping container capable of detecting various modes of threat, such as insertion of unauthorized materials, tampering, exposure to harmful substances such as chemical or biological threats, as well as tracking and reporting on location and contents. This is the “smart” container versus the often called “dumb box” that has been employed by the industry for more than forty years.
A number of Federal government programs have been initiated in the last 2-3 years with the goal of developing either a “smart” container or some key portion of a container security system. The goals have included such features as total system security, detection of inserted weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), detection and reporting of tampering, and maintaining fulltime reporting capability to show location. None has dealt so specifically with chemical and biological protection or the use of innovative materials for the container (“hybrid polymer” is the RFP terminology).
Accordingly, a solution is needed for embedding electronics in walls or panels for various purposes including the transmission of information or data through those walls are panels.
3. Description of the Related Art
A container security system as described by System Planning Corporation (SPC) (U.S. Pat. No. 7,098,784) herein referred to as “the SPC Invention”, performs many of the functions to monitor containers, their content, and to detect tampering within a container during transit. This is accomplished through a device is which attached to a container, which performs multiple functions. Some of these functions may include controlling various sensors, collected the data from these sensors and transmitting this data back to a central monitoring station. The central monitoring stations may also send commands and information to individual containers equipment with this device.
The SPC invention is has all of the electronic elements a in a housing. To install the SPC device on the container it must be mounted or attached which is often a cumbersome operation. In order to facilitate installation on a container, different mounting brackets may be used but these result in additional cost. Also, for the SPC invention, the antenna device to the communication subsystem and the global positioning element is mounted on the exterior of the container. In this case it can be easily damaged, limits the ability to effectively stack containers, and it obvious to any person.